CREW Program takes Flight

McNicholas is excited to officially launch our Flight Program, an extension of the CREW program that was established in the fall of 2020. 

CREWs are small group communities that meet daily for intentional formation and mentoring. CREW members pray, play, and grow together, and support each other as they walk side-by-side through their high school years. Each CREW is led by a mentor teacher with the help of a student captain. 

CREWs are now bonding together into Flights for larger group activities and formation.  Flights are made up of approximately six CREWs, led by a Dean. Students are known on a personal level by their CREW mentors and Flight Deans, creating meaningful, healthy relationships and individual support from adults in the building. 

Student Culture Coordinator, Mr. Todd Naumann, said, “Flights help us make the small group community of CREW a little bigger while simultaneously making the entire school feel smaller and more personal. The program as a whole is a very intentional way of making a school of over 600 feel like a close-knit community of 100 and a close-knit community of 100 feel like a family of 15.” 

Each Flight is fostering its own identity, having chosen a Bible passage and patron saint that will guide its members in their formation. Flights are named using numbers derived from the chapter and verse of their guiding passage and each group has a Flight patch that visually reminds them of their unique identity. 

“Each Flight number is an active call to action for our students. Flight identities align scripture and saints and serve as an example for students to follow,” Mr. Naumann said.  

Flights will meet regularly throughout the year. Student leaders are particularly looking forward to the Flight Cup Competition. This friendly competition, aimed at creating a sense of pride and camaraderie amongst the Flights, will allow CREWs to earn points for their Flights. These points will accumulate until the end of the school year when the winning Flight will be announced.  The first-ever points for the Flight Cup Competition were earned by members of the Class of 2027 during their fight song competition at Freshman Orientation. 

“Flights are something that every single student participates in, no matter their strengths, interests, or extracurricular activities. This is an opportunity to really foster relationships and to help students live our McNicholas values. We are very excited to witness the fruits that the Flight Program will bring to our community,” Mr. Naumann added.